Positively-chargeable charge control agent and toner for developing electrostatic images

ABSTRACT

Positively-chargeable charge control agent and toner for developing electrostatic images that comprises a coloring agent, a resin for toners, and said positively-chargeable charge control agent. The positively-chargeable charge control agent comprises a metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid having at least 1 perfluoroalkyl group, wherein the central atom of the metal complex salt or metal complex is a trivalent metal.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/087,754 filed May 29,1998, now allowed and the entire disclosure of this prior application isconsidered to be part of the disclosure of the accompanying applicationand is hereby incorporated by reference therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a toner for developing electrostaticimages used in electrophotography etc., and a positively chargeablecharge control agent used in said toner for developing electrostaticimages etc.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In copying machines, printers and other devices based onelectrophotography, various dry or wet toners comprising a coloringagent, a fixing resin and other substances are used to visualize theelectrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor having alight-sensitive layer containing an organic or inorganic photoconductivesubstance. There are two types of development processes using drytoners; methods using two-component developers comprising a mixture of atoner and a carrier, and methods using one-component developerscomprising a toner used alone without being mixed with a carrier.

development processes using two-component developers include thosewherein a toner and a carrier are mixed and subjected to friction tomutually oppositely charge them, after which the charged tonervisualizes an oppositely charged electrostatic latent image;specifically magnetic brush development, cascade development, etc. areused according to the kinds of toner and carrier.

One-component development processes include the powder cloud method,wherein toner particles are used in the form of a spray, the impressiondevelopment process, wherein toner particles are brought into directcontact with the surface of an electrostatic latent image, and theinductive development process, wherein a magnetic electroconductivetoner is brought into contact with the surface of an electrostaticlatent image.

The chargeability of toners used in various development processes asdescribed above is a key factor in electrostatic latent image-developingsystems. Thus, to appropriately control or stabilize tonerchargeability, various charge control agents providing a positive ornegative charge are added to the toner.

In recent years, as photoconductive materials for the formation ofelectrostatic latent images in developing systems such as copyingmachines and laser printers, the consumption of maintenance-free organicphotoconductive photoreceptors of low cost and high sensitivity hasincreased dramatically in the industry. To develop the electrostaticlatent image formed on such organic photoconductive photoreceptors, theuse of a good positively-chargeable toner is desired. Also, when aconventional selenium photoreceptor is used, the use of apositively-chargeable toner is essential for reversal development.

Of the conventional charge control agents in actual application, thoseproviding a positive charge include basic dyes such as nigrosine dyesand triarylmethane dyes. However, most charge control agents of dyestructure are generally structurally complex and unstable; for example,they are likely to be decomposed or deteriorated to lose their initialcharge control capability when exposed to mechanical friction or impact,temperature or humidity changes, electric impact, light irradiation,etc. Also, because dyes are chromatic, they lack versatile applicabilityto color toners, a recently strongly demanded property.

Among positively chargeable charge control agents capable of resolvingthese problems are the compounds having a nitrogen atom cation in theirmolecular structure, such as quaternary ammonium salts, iminium saltsand pyridinium salts, described in Japanese Patent UnexaminedPublication Nos. 119364/1982, 98742/1983, 1162/1991, 100491/1993 and11904/1994, and the p-halophenylcarboxylic acid described in JapanesePatent Unexamined Publication No. 186752/1983.

Although the positively chargeable charge control agents mentioned hereare mostly light-colored and advantageous in that they can be used incolor toners, some are unsatisfactory in terms of thermal stability,environmental stability, resin dispersion uniformity, or charge controlcharacteristics, thus calling for further investigation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a positivelychargeable charge control agent that has as an active ingredient a metalcomplex salt or metal complex of new stable chemical structure showingexcellent positive charge control characteristics, that is excellent inthermal stability and durability (charge control or enhancementcharacteristic stability in multiple repeated use), that does notadversely affect toner fixability and offset characteristic when used ina toner, and that is ideal for use in color toners; and a toner fordeveloping electrostatic images that contains said metal complex salt ormetal complex as a charge control agent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventors found that a metal complex salt or metal complexof an aromatic dicarboxylic acid having at least perfluoroalkyl group asa substituent on the aromatic ring thereof exhibits excellent positivecharge control performance, is excellent in heat resistance anddurability, is colorless or light-colored, and is ideal as a chargecontrol agent for color toners.

The positively chargeable charge control agent of the present inventionis a charge control agent comprising a metal complex salt or metalcomplex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid having at least 1perfluoroalkyl group, wherein the central atom of the metal complex saltor metal complex is a trivalent metal.

This metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylicacid has at least 1 perfluoroalkyl group as an aromatic nucleussubstituent, as represented by Formula [I] or [II] below.

The toner of the present invention for developing electrostatic imagescomprises a coloring agent and a resin for toners and contains as acharge control agent a metal complex salt or metal complex of anaromatic dicarboxylic acid having at least 1 perfluoroalkyl group,wherein the central atom of the metal complex salt or metal complex is atrivalent metal.

The positively chargeable charge control agent of the present inventionand the toner of the present invention for developing electrostaticimages are preferably such that the above-described metal complex saltor metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid is represented byFormula [I] or [II] below. In Formula [II], 3 moles of ligand aromaticdicarboxylic acid are coordinated to 2 moles of metal M. ##STR1##

In Formulas [I] and [II],

A represents ##STR2## or ##STR3## M represents a trivalent metal; X⁺represents H⁺, an alkal metal cation, NH⁺ ₄, a cation based on anorganic amine, or a quaternary organic ammonium ion.

In the former formula, each of R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ independentlyrepresents hydrogen (H) or a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group,but not all of R¹ through R⁴ are hydrogen (H).

In the latter formula, each of R⁵, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸, R⁹ and R¹⁰ independentlyrepresents hydrogen (H) or a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group,but not all of R⁵ through R¹⁰ are hydrogen.

Also, the positively chargeable charge control agent of the presentinvention and the toner of the present invention for developingelectrostatic images are preferably such that the above-describedtrivalent metal is a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Feand Cr.

In addition, the positively chargeable charge control agent of thepresent invention and the toner of the present invention for developingelectrostatic images are preferably such that the carbon number of theabove-described perfluoroalkyl group is an integer from 1 to 8.

The positively-chargeable charge control agent of the present invention,especially one containing as an active ingredient an aromaticdicarboxylic acid metal complex salt or metal complex represented byFormula [I] or [II], is well dispersible in resins, possess excellentcharge control characteristics, is excellent in thermal stability anddurability, and does not adversely affect toner fixability and offsetcharacteristic when used in toners. Even when the positively-chargeablecharge control agent of the present invention is used in a tonertogether with a weakly negatively-chargeable resin such as polyesterresin, the resulting toner exhibits stable and good positive chargecharacteristics. Also, because the positively-chargeable charge controlagent of the present invention is colorless or light-colored, it isunlikely to cause color tone damage when used in various toners andelectrostatic resin powders, and is therefore ideal for use in colortoners. Furthermore, the positively-chargeable charge control agent ofthe present invention is also suited for use in frictionalcharge-providing elements that provide a negative charge for a toner.

The toner of the present invention for developing electrostatic imagesis excellent in charge stability, environmental resistance, storagestability, thermal stabilityl and durability, and good in fixability andoffset characteristic. Also, because the metal complex salt or metalcomplex contained as a charge control agent is colorless or light-colored, color tone damage in toner images is unlikely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With respect to the metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromaticdicarboxylic acid in the present invention, the central atom to whichthe ligand is coordinated is a trivalent metal. Examples of such metalsinclude Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, Co, Ti, Mn and Mo. Preferable trivalent metalsare Al, Fe and Cr, with greater preference given to Al.

The perfluoroalkyl group present as an aromatic nucleus substituent inthe aromatic dicarboxylic acid in the present invention may be linear orbranched. The carbon number of this perfluoroalkyl group is preferably 1to 8, more preferably 1 to 4.

The perfluoroalkyl group in the present invention is exemplified by

trifluoromethyl group,

pentafluoroethyl group,

n-heptafluoropropyl group,

isoheptafluoropropyl group,

n-nonafluorobutyl group,

isononafluorobutyl group,

sec-nonafluorobutyl group,

tert-nonafluorobutyl group,

n-tridecafluorohexyl group,

n-heptadecafluorooctyl group and

tert-heptadecafluorooctyl group.

The aromatic dicarboxylic acid in the present invention is exemplifiedby

perfluoroalkyl-substituted phthalic acids such as

3-trifluoromethylphthalic acid,

4-trifluoromethylphthalic acid,

2-pentafluoroethylphthalic acid,

3-pentafluoroethylphthalic acid,

4-pentafluoroethylphthalic acid,

3-isoheptafluoropropylphthalic acid,

3-tert-nonafluorobutylphthalic acid,

3-n-tridecafluorohexylphthalic acid,

4-trifluoromethyl-3-tert-nonafluorobutylphthalic acid,

3,4-di-trifluoromethylphthalic acid,

3-trifluoromethyl-5-pentafluoroethylphthalic acid,

3,5-di-trifluoromethylphthalic acid,

3,5-di-tert-nonafluorobutylphthalic acid,

3-tert-nonafluorobutyl-5-isoheptafluoropropylphthalic acid,

3-isoheptadecafluorooctylphthalic acid and

3-tert-heptadecafluorooctylphthalic acid; and

perfluoroalkyl-substituted naphthalenedicarboxylic acids such as

6-trifluoromethyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-pentafluoroethyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-tert-nonafluorobutyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-n-heptafluoropropyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-tert-nonafluorobutyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-tert-heptadecafluorooctyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

5,7-di-trifluoromethyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

5,7-di-tert-nonafluorobutyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

5-trifluoromethyl-7 n-heptafluoropropyl-2,3-naphthalenedicarboxylicacid,

6-trifluoromethyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

6-pentafluoroethyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

7-pentafluoroethyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

7-n-tridecafluorohexyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

7-isoheptafluoropropyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid,

5,7-di-trifluoromethyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and

5-trifluoromethyl-7-n-heptafluoropropyl-1,2-naphthalenedicarboxylicacid.

The metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acidin the present invention can be obtained by chelating the aromaticdicarboxylic acid by a known method. For example, it can be obtained bydissolving a perfluoroalkyl aromatic dicarboxylic acid as describedabove in an alkali added in a sufficient amount, adding a metallizingagent to the solution in an amount resulting in a metal perfluoroalkylaromatic dicarboxylic acid molar ratio of 1:2 or 2:3, heating themixture, collecting the resulting precipitate by filtration, and washingit.

Metallizing agents that can be used to produce the metal complex salt ormetal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid in the present inventioninclude, for example, aluminum compounds such as aluminum sulfate,aluminum chloride, poly(aluminum chloride) and aluminum nitrate; ironcompounds such as ferric chloride, ferric sulfate and ferric nitrate;and chromium compounds such as chromium sulfate, chromium chloride,chromium acetate and chromium formate.

Examples of the counter-ion (X⁺) for the aromatic dicarboxylic acidmetal complex salt represented by Formula [I] above include H⁺, cationsbased on alkali metals (Na, K, etc.), NH⁺ ₄, cations based on organicamines (aliphatic primary amines, aliphatic secondary amines, aliphatictertiary amines, etc.) and quaternary organic ammonium ions.

The metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylic acidin the present invention is exemplified by the compounds shown below.

Example Compound 1 ##STR4## Example Compound 2 ##STR5## Example Compound3 ##STR6## Example Compound 4 ##STR7## Example Compound 5 ##STR8##Example Compound 6 ##STR9## Example Compound 7 ##STR10## ExampleCompound 8 ##STR11## Example Compound 9 ##STR12## Example Compound 10##STR13## Example Compound 11 ##STR14## Example Compound 12 ##STR15##Example Compound 13 ##STR16## Example Compound 14 ##STR17## ExampleCompound 15 ##STR18## Example Compound 16 ##STR19## Example Compound 17##STR20##

The charge control agent in the present invention is preferably anaromatic dicarboxylic acid metal complex salt or metal complexrepresented by Formula [I] or [II] above, which is well dispersible inresins for toners.

The toner of the present invention for developing electrostatic imagesincorporates the charge control agent of the present invention in anamount suited for toner charge control. Preferable amounts of chargecontrol agent added are 0.1 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts byweight of resin, more preferably 0.5 to 5 parts by weight per 100 partsby weight of resin. The toner of the present invention for developingelectrostatic images may incorporate 1 or more kinds of this aromaticdicarboxylic acid metal complex salt or metal complex as a chargecontrol agent. Also, the charge control agent of the present inventionmay concurrently contain other positively chargeable charge controlagents in traditional use, such as light-colored quaternary ammoniumsalts, as long as the accomplishment of the intended object is notinterfered with.

Examples of resins useful in the toner of the present invention includethe following known resins for toners (binder resins). Specifically,useful resins include styrene resin, styrene-acrylic resin,styrene-butadiene resin, styrene-maleic acid resin, styrene- vinylmethyl ether resin, styrene-methacrylic ester copolymer, phenol resin,epoxy resin, polyester resin, polypropylene resin and paraffin wax.These resins may be used singly or in blends.

In the toner of the present invention, various dyes and pigments can beused as coloring agents. Examples of useful coloring agents includeorganic pigments such as Quinophthalone Yellow, Isoindolinone Yellow,Perynone Orange, Perylene Maroon, Rhodamine 6G Lake, Quinacridone Red,Rose Bengale, Copper Phthalocyanine Blue, Copper Phthalocyanine Greenand diketopyrrolopyrrole pigments; inorganic pigments such as CarbonBlack, Titanium White, Titanium Yellow, Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue andiron oxide red; various oil-soluble dyes and disperse dyes such as azodyes, quinophthalone dyes, anthraquinone dyes, phthalocyanine dyes,indophenol dyes and indoaniline dyes; and triarylmethane dyes andxanthene dyes modified with resins such as rosin, rosin-modified phenoland rosin-modified maleic acid.

In the toner of the present invention for developing electrostaticimages, the above-mentioned coloring agents can be used singly or incombination of 2 or more kinds. Chromatic monocolor toners canincorporate as coloring agents appropriately mixed dyes and pigments ofthe same color, e.g., quinophthalone dyes and pigments, xanthene orrhodamine dyes and pigments, and phthalocyanine dyes and pigments.

Also, to improve toner quality, additives, e.g., electroconductiveparticles, fluidity-improving agents and image peeling inhibitors, canbe added to the toner internally or externally.

The toner of the present invention for developing electrostatic imagescan, for example, be produced as described below. For example, a tonerhaving an average particle diameter of 1 to 15 μm can be obtained bythoroughly mixing a resin for toners, a coloring agent, and the chargecontrol agent of the present invention as described above, and, ifnecessary, a magnetic material, a fluidizing agent and other additives,using a ball mill or another mechanical mixer, subsequently kneading themixture in a molten state using a hot kneader such as a heat roll,kneader or extruder, cooling and solidifying the mixture, thenpulverizing the solid and classifying the resulting particles by size.

Other applicable methods include the method in which other startingmaterials are dispersed in a binder resin solution and subsequentlyspray dried to yield the desired toner, and the polymerizing tonerproduction method in which a given set of starting materials are mixedin a monomer to constitute a binder resin to yield an emulsifiedsuspension, which is then polymerized to yield the desired toner.

When the toner of the present invention for developing electrostaticimages is used as a two-component developer, development can be achievedby the two-component magnetic brush development process or the likeusing the toner in mixture with carrier powder.

Any known carrier can be used. Examples of the carrier include ironpowder, nickel powder, ferrite powder and glass beads about 50 to 200 μmin particle diameter, and such materials as coated with acrylic estercopolymer, styrene-acrylic ester copolymer, styrene-methacrylic estercopolymer, silicone resin, polyamide resin, ethylene fluoride resin orthe like.

When the toner of the present invention for developing electrostaticimages is used as a one-component developer, an appropriate amount offine powder of a ferromagnetic material such as iron powder, nickelpowder or ferrite powder may be added and dispersed in preparing thetoner as described above.

On the other hand, by adding the positively-chargeable charge controlagent of the present invention to a positively-chargeable resin powderpaint for electrostatic painting, the charge of the powder paint can becontrolled or enhanced. Because resin powder paints for electrostaticpainting containing the positively-chargeable charge control agent ofthe present invention are excellent in heat resistance and good inpositive charge enhancing characteristic, they exhibit high paintadhesion efficiency, thus minimizing the necessity for the recycled useof the powder paint. Painting using such powder paints can be achievedby ordinary electrostatic powder painting methods such as the coronaapplication method, the frictional chargeable method and the hybridmethod.

It is also possible to obtain a frictional charge-providing elementcapable of providing a negative charge for a toner for developingelectrostatic images by coating the surface of a transportation elementfor a carrier and a toner, such as a cylindrical sleeve or a doctorblade, with a metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromaticdicarboxylic acid having a perfluoroalkyl group, which metal complexsalt or metal complex serves as the positively-chargeable charge controlagent of the present invention, by dipping, spraying, brush applicationor the like.

The aromatic dicarboxylic acid metal complex salt or metal complex usedfor this frictional charge-providing element is capable of stablyproviding a negative charge for a toner and producing toner images ofhigh quality comparable to that of initial images even after continuouscopying. Also, this frictional charge-providing element may concurrentlycontain a small amount of an auxiliary negative charge-providing agent(e.g., quaternary ammonium salt type etc.).

EXAMPLES

The present invention is hereinafter described in more detail by meansof Examples 1 through 8, which pertain to toners for developingelectrostatic images containing the charge control agent of the presentinvention, but which are not to be construed as limitative. In thedescription below, "part(s) by weight" is referred to as "part(s)" forshort.

Example 1

Styrene-acrylic copolymer resin [trade name: HIMER SMB600, produced bySanyo Kasei Co., Ltd.]. . . 100 parts

Carbon Black [trade name: RAVEN1250, produced by Columbia Carbon Co.,Ltd.]. . . 8 parts

Charge control agent (Example Compound 2) . . . 1 part

The above ingredients were uniformly pre-mixed using a ball mill toyield a premix, which was then kneaded in a molten state using a heatroll, cooled and thereafter roughly milled using a vibration mill. Therough milling product obtained was finely pulverized using an air jetmill equipped with a classifier to yield a positively-chargeable blacktoner 5 to 15 μm in particle diameter.

Three parts of this toner was admixed with 97 parts of an iron powdercarrier [trade name: TEFV200/300, produced by Powdertech Co., Ltd.) toyield a developer. The amount of initial blowoff charges of thisdeveloper was +24.3 μC/g. After 10,000 copies were taken using a copyingmachine incorporating a toner-recycling apparatus, the amount of blowoffcharges was +23.8 μC/g, demonstrating that the amount of blowoff chargesof this developer was very stable.

When this toner was used to form toner images using a commercial copyingmachine, fogging-free high-quality black images with good thin linereproducibility were obtained. Even after 20,000 copies werecontinuously taken, good black images were obtained with no imagedensity reduction or offset phenomenon.

Example 2

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 1, except that the charge control agent used in Example 1(Example Compound 2) was replaced with Example Compound 1. The amount ofinitial blowoff charges of this developer was +23.7 μC/g. When thisdeveloper was used for repeated cycles of actual imaging in the samemanner as in Example 1, high-quality images free of image densityreduction and fogging were obtained, with good charge stability andsustainability and no offset phenomenon.

Example 3

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 1, except that the charge control agent used in Example 1(Example Compound 2) was replaced with Example Compound 4. The amount ofinitial blowoff charges of this developer was +16.8 μC/g. When thisdeveloper was used for repeated cycles of actual imaging in the samemanner as in Example 1, high-quality images free of image densityreduction and fogging were obtained, with good charge stability andsustainability and no offset phenomenon.

Example 4

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 1, except that the charge control agent used in Example 1(Example Compound 2) was replaced with a mixture of Example Compound 1and Example Compound 2. The amount of initial blowoff charges of thisdeveloper was +23.0 μC/g. When this developer was used for repeatedcycles of actual imaging in the same manner as in Example 1,high-quality images free of image density reduction and fogging wereobtained, with good charge stability and sustainability and no offsetphenomenon.

Comparative Example 1

A black toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, exceptthat the charge control agent used in Example l (Example Compound 2) wasreplaced with a compound represented by Formula [III] below: ##STR21##

When this toner was used to prepare a developer in the same manner as inExample 1, and the amount of initial blowoff charges of this developerwas determined, the desired amount of positive charges was not obtained.When this toner was used to form toner images, considerable foggingoccurred.

Comparative Example 2

A black toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, exceptthat the charge control agent used in Example 1 (Example Compound 2) wasreplaced with a compound represented by Formula [IV] below: ##STR22##

When this toner was used to prepare a developer in the same manner as inExample 1, and the amount of initial blowoff charges of this developerwas determined, the desired amount of positive charges was not obtained.When this toner was used to form toner images, considerable foggingoccurred.

Comparative Example 3

A black toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, exceptthat the charge control agent used in Example 1 (Example Compound 2) wasreplaced with a compound represented by Formula [V] below: ##STR23##

When this toner was used to prepare a developer in the same manner as inExample 1, and the amount of initial blowoff charges of this developerwas determined, the desired amount of positive charges was not obtained.When this toner was used to form toner images, considerable foggingoccurred.

Example 4

Styrene-acrylic copolymer resin (trade name: HIMER SMB600, produced bySanyo Kasei Co., Ltd.]. . . 100 parts

Copper Phthalocyanine pigment . . . 6 parts

Charge control agent (Example Compound 2) . . . 2 parts

The above ingredients were treated in the same manner as in Example 1 toyield a blue toner.

A developer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1; the amountof initial blowoff charges of this developer was determined to be +19.9μC/g. After 10,000 copies were taken using a copying machineincorporating a toner-recycling apparatus, the amount of blowoff chargesof this developer was determined to be +19.5 μC/g, demonstrating thatthe amount of blowoff charges of this developer was very stable.

When this toner was used to form toner images using a commercial copyingmachine, fogging-free high-quality blue images with good thin linereproducibility were obtained. Even after 20,000 copies werecontinuously taken, good blue images were obtained with no image densityreduction or offset phenomenon.

Example 5

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 4, except that the charge control agent used in Example 4(Example Compound 2) was replaced with Example Compound 4. The amount ofinitial blowoff charges of this developer was +16.7 μC/g. When thisdeveloper was used for repeated cycles of actual imaging in the samemanner as in Example 4, high-quality images free of image densityreduction and fogging were obtained, with good charge stability andsustainability and no offset phenomenon.

Example 6

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 4, except that the charge control agent used in Example 1(Example Compound 2) was replaced with a mixture of Example Compound 2and Example Compound 4. The amount of initial blowoff charges of thisdeveloper was +20.0 μC/g. When this developer was used for repeatedcycles of actual imaging in the same manner as in Example 4,high-quality images free of image density reduction and fogging wereobtained, with good charge stability and sustainability and no offsetphenomenon.

Comparative Example 4

A blue toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4, exceptthat the charge control agent used in Example 4 (Example Compound 2) wasreplaced with a compound represented by Formula [VI] below: ##STR24##

When this toner was used to prepare a developer in the same manner as inExample 4, and the amount of initial blowoff charges of this developerwas determined, the desired amount of positive charges was not obtained.When this toner was used to form toner images, considerable foggingoccurred.

Example 7

Styrene resin [trade name: Vicolastic D-125, produced by Esso SekiyuCo., Ltd.]. . . 100 parts

Low polymer polypropylene [trade name: Biscal 550P, produced by SanyoKasei Co., Ltd.] . . . 10 parts

Phthalocyanine Green pigment . . . 7 parts

Charge control agent (Example Compound 6) . . . 3 parts

The above ingredients were treated in the same manner as in Example 1 toyield a green toner.

A developer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1; the amountof initial blowoff charges of this developer was determined to be +23.1μC/g. After 10,000 copies were taken using a copying machineincorporating a toner-recycling apparatus, the amount of blowoff chargeswas determined to be +22.8 μC/g, demonstrating that the amount ofblowoff charges of this developer was very stable.

When, this toner was used to form toner images using a commercialcopying machine, fogging-free high-quality green images with good thinline reproducibility were obtained. Even after 20,000 copies werecontinuously taken, good green images were obtained with no imagedensity reduction or offset phenomenon.

Example 8

A toner and a developer were prepared and evaluated in the same manneras in Example 7, except that the charge control agent used in Example 7(Example Compound 6) was replaced with Example Compound 1. The amount ofinitial blowoff charges of this developer was +22.4 μC/g. When thisdeveloper was used for repeated cycles of actual imaging in the samemanner as in Example 7, high-quality images free of image densityreduction and fogging were obtained, with good charge stability andsustainability and no offset phenomenon.

What is claimed is:
 1. Positively-chargeable charge control agentcomprising a metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromaticdicarboxylic acid having at least 1 perfluoroalkyl group, wherein thecentral atom of the metal complex salt or metal complex is a trivalentmetal.
 2. Positively-chargeable charge control agent of claim 1 whereinsaid metal complex salt or metal complex of an aromatic dicarboxylicacid is represented by Formula [I] or [II] below: ##STR25## In Formulas[I] and [II], A represents ##STR26## M represents a trivalent metal; X⁺represents H⁺, an alkali metal cation, NH⁺ ₄, a cation based on anorganic amine, or a quaternary organic ammonium ion;In the formerformula, each of R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ independently represents hydrogen ora linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group, except that not all of R¹through R⁴ are hydrogen; In the latter formula, each of R⁵, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸,R⁹ and R¹⁰ independently represents hydrogen or a linear or branchedperfluoroalkyl group, except that not all of R⁵ through R¹⁰ arehydrogen.
 3. Positively-chargeable charge control agent of claim 1wherein said trivalent metal is a metal selected from the groupconsisting of Al, Fe and Cr.
 4. Positively-chargeable charge controlagent of claim 2 wherein said trivalent metal is a metal selected fromthe group consisting of Al, Fe and Cr.
 5. Positively-chargeable chargecontrol agent of claim 1 wherein the carbon number of saidperfluoroalkyl group is an integer of 1 to
 8. 6. Positively-chargeablecharge control agent of claim 2 wherein the carbon number of saidperfluoroalkyl group is an integer of 1 to
 8. 7. Positively-chargeablecharge control agent of claim 3 wherein the carbon number of saidperfluoroalkyl group is an integer of 1 to
 8. 8. Positively-chargeablecharge control agent of claim 4 wherein the carbon number of saidperfluoroalkyl group is an integer of 1 to 8.